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Agnes

Agnes is a Greek name meaning "pure" or "chaste."

Ranked #1016 in the 2025 SSA records, peaked at #37 in 1899, stable over the past 5 years.

Agnes is the name of Saint Agnes of Rome, an early-fourth-century Roman virgin martyr whose name is preserved in the Canon of the Mass and whose tradition gave Latin Christianity the lamb as her iconographic attribute.

Browse names
OriginGreek
GenderGirl
FeelSaintly
PronunciationAG-nis

Meaning

The meaning of Agnes

Agnes comes from the Greek Hagne, meaning "pure" or "chaste," from the adjective hagnos meaning "pure," "holy," or "morally clean." In Latin Christian tradition the name was folk-etymologized as connected to agnus, meaning "lamb," producing the iconographic tradition in which Saint Agnes appears with a lamb at her feet. The folk etymology was theologically substantive: the lamb is both a symbol of purity and a direct reference to Christ as the Lamb of God (agnus Dei). Both etymologies, the original Greek and the Latin folk reading, became part of the name's Christian heritage.

Virgin martyr

Why Agnes became a Christian name

Saint Agnes of Rome is among the most prominent early Christian virgin martyrs. Her name in the Canon of the Mass alongside seven other named women martyrs preserved her veneration across the Latin liturgical tradition from the early medieval period forward. The traditional Roman feast on January 21 includes the blessing of lambs at the Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura, whose wool is woven into the pallia worn by archbishops, a continuous liturgical link to her iconographic tradition.

The Latin folk etymology of Agnes as connected to agnus (lamb) gave the name a double Christian resonance: purity through the original Greek hagnos, and the Lamb of God through the Latin reading. Both etymologies became part of the name's permanent Christian heritage. The vintage-revival naming trend has been bringing Agnes back into recognition in modern American naming.

Sound

How to pronounce Agnes

Phonetic
AG-nis
IPA
/ˈæɡnɪs/

2 syllables · stress: AG-nis · ends in a consonant

Forms

Variants and nicknames

Alternate spellings

  • Agness
  • Agneis

Short forms and nicknames

  • Aggie
  • Nessie

Languages

Agnes in other languages

Greek
ἉγνήHagneThe original Greek form, from the adjective hagnos meaning "pure" or "holy."
Latin
AgnesIn Latin Christian tradition the name was folk-etymologized as connected to agnus, "lamb," giving Saint Agnes her iconographic attribute.
Italian
Agnese
French
Agnès
Spanish
InésThe Iberian Romance descent of Latin Agnes; the form most divergent from the original Greek and Latin.
Portuguese
Inês
German
Agnete
Polish
Agnieszka

Christian background

Christian and biblical background

Agnes is associated with Saint Agnes of Rome (c. 291 to c. 304), an early Christian martyr who, according to tradition, refused marriage to maintain her Christian commitment and was martyred at around age 12 or 13 during the Diocletian persecutions. She is one of the most prominent virgin martyrs in early Christian veneration, and her name appears in the Canon of the Mass alongside seven other named women martyrs. Her feast day on January 21 is preserved uniformly across Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox calendars. The lamb has been her iconographic attribute since the early medieval period, drawn from both the Latin folk etymology and the agnus Dei vocabulary of the gospels.

Bearers

Notable people named Agnes

  • historical

    Saint Agnes of RomeEarly Christian virgin martyr of the Diocletian persecutions, c. 291 to c. 304

  • historical

    Agnes of BohemiaThirteenth-century Bohemian princess and Poor Clare nun, canonized 1989, 1211 to 1282

  • historical

    Saint Agnes of AssisiSister of Saint Clare of Assisi and early Poor Clare, c. 1197 to 1253

  • modern

    Agatha ChristieEnglish novelist (note: distinct etymology, Greek agathos "good"), 1890 to 1976

  • modern

    Agnes MooreheadAmerican actress of Citizen Kane and Bewitched, 1900 to 1974

Saint

Saint Agnes of Rome

Traditions
Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran
Feast day
January 21
Patron of
young girls, chastity, virgins, betrothed couples, gardeners

Saint Agnes of Rome's feast on January 21 is preserved uniformly across Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox calendars. The traditional Roman feast includes the blessing of two lambs at the Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura; their wool is later woven into the pallia given by the pope to new metropolitan archbishops. Her name appears in the Roman Canon of the Mass alongside seven other named women martyrs.

Naming history

Naming tradition and history

Agnes held a US Top 50 girls' position from 1880 through the 1920s, peaking at #37 in 1899 during the broader nineteenth-century Catholic saint-name surge. The name declined sharply through the mid-twentieth century, falling outside the Top 1000 by the 1970s and dropping to #2672 in 2010. In the contemporary vintage-revival naming trend, Agnes has been climbing steadily, reaching #1016 in the 2025 SSA data, just outside the Top 1000 and continuing to rise.

Recent US use

Agnes in recent US use

Rank in 2025
#1016
Peak rank
#37 in 1899
Recent trend
stable over the last 5 years
Years in the SSA records
146 (since 1880)

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880-2025.

Sibling fit

Sibling name suggestions

Phonetic neighbours

Names that sound similar to Agnes

  • Felicity · Both Agnes and Felicity are Latin-rooted virgin-martyr-tradition Christian women's names; the sonic registers differ but the saint-cluster fit is close.

For families

For families looking at Agnes

For a Christian family, Agnes names one of the most prominent early Christian virgin martyrs and carries the Latin Christian agnus Dei tradition through its folk etymology. Ranked #1016 in US baby names in 2025, climbing sharply in the vintage-revival trend from a 2010 low of #2672.

Common questions

What does Agnes mean?

Agnes means "pure" or "chaste." The Greek root is hagnos, meaning pure or holy. In Latin Christian tradition the name was folk-etymologized as connected to agnus, "lamb."

Is Agnes a biblical name?

No. Agnes is a Greek-origin Christian heritage name. The Latin folk etymology connects it to agnus, the lamb of John 1:29 ("Behold the Lamb of God").

Who was Saint Agnes?

Saint Agnes of Rome was an early-fourth-century Christian virgin martyr of the Diocletian persecutions, traditionally martyred at around age 12 or 13 for refusing marriage to maintain her Christian commitment.

How popular is the name Agnes?

Agnes ranked #1016 in US baby names in 2025, just outside the Top 1000 and climbing sharply in the vintage-revival trend from a 2010 low of #2672. The name peaked at #37 in 1899.

Read next

Related names

ClareBoth Agnes (4th century Roman virgin martyr) and Clare (13th century Assisi founder of the Poor Clares) are vintage saint-tradition Christian girls' names. Saint Clare modeled her vocation on earlier saints including Agnes; her younger sister was named Agnes of Assisi.FelicityBoth Saints Agnes of Rome (early 4th century) and Felicity of Carthage (early 3rd century) are early Christian women martyrs named in the Canon of the Mass. The names share the early-martyr saint-tradition register.MonicaBoth saint-tradition late-antique Christian women's names, though from different registers (Agnes the virgin martyr, Monica the praying mother of Augustine).MaryMarian and Agnes-veneration intersect in Catholic tradition through the shared register of virginity; Agnes's commitment to virginity for Christ's sake places her in the Marian devotional tradition.LuciaBoth Agnes and Lucia (Saint Lucy of Syracuse, c. 283 to 304) are early Christian virgin martyrs from the Diocletian persecutions, named in the Canon of the Mass, and central to the early Latin liturgical calendar.